Washington (CNN) – The Republican National Committee has narrowed the list of cities it is considering to host the 2016 GOP convention to six, and announced Wednesday it is no longer considering Phoenix and Columbus, Ohio.

Cincinnati, Cleveland, Dallas, Denver, Kansas City and Las Vegas are still in contention to host the convention where Republicans will officially choose their presidential nominee.
“In any other year, Columbus and Phoenix could have topped the list, but with so many strong cities competing, the committee had to make the difficult decision to narrow the field,” Enid Mickelsen, chair of the RNC’s Site Selection Committee said in a statement. “Phoenix and Columbus are great American cities, and I hope they’ll pursue a future bid for an RNC convention.”

Representatives from each of the cities have been courting the RNC’s Site Selection Committee for the past few months, and made their formal pitches in March. RNC staff will visit each of the cities in the coming months, and members of the Site Selection Committee are expected to choose the host city by late summer or early fall.

For a city, a convention is a costly affair as the host is expected to raise upwards of $60 million to help pay for it. But if managed correctly, a convention pays off as the surrounding communities are flooded with as many as 50,000 new visitors and the area is showcased on an international stage for weeks leading up to the event.

The Site Selection Committee will consider a number of factors as it determines what city it will choose to hold the 2016 RNC Convention, including the ability to raise money, adequate infrastructure, ease of transporting delegates and visitors to and from the convention hall, public perception and potential electoral benefits.

The Democratic Party goes through a similar process when choosing its convention site.